Where to watch Run
1 Star
While conveying a Porsche from Boston to Atlantic City, student Charlie has to make a stop due to engine trouble. Mistaken as rich, he’s invited to a big poker game — and wins big time. However Denny Halloran, son of a mighty mobster, is a bad loser and starts a fight. But he’s also a bad fighter: he falls on his head and is dead. Now Charlie’s in trouble; after he flees Halloran’s father puts a reward on his head. Even the police won’t help him against the mighty man – so Charlie has to run for his life.
My only recollection of Run (1991) is that my friend Dustin and I were dropped off at a screening of Double Impact by his father, who opted for the Patrick Dempsey action thriller over the antics of ‘The Muscles from Brussels.’ Now that I’ve finally viewed Run, 34 years later, I’m glad we chose the Van Damme flick over this lame, poorly executed, dull movie. There isn’t much to get excited about with Run; one can practically hear the gears grinding as the plot mechanics go through their motions.
Patrick Dempsey, who had an early career in offbeat teen comedies, is unsuccessful in his bid for action-hero status. His competition, Richard Grieco, appears in If Looks Could Kill, also released in 1991, which is a much better movie and showcases its lead actor. Run is an obscure title from the 1990s; I tracked it down because the trailer was on a VHS tape I recently screened. Dempsey and Kelly Preston walked away from this ‘bomb’ unscathed, but RUN is the lone action film in Patrick Dempsey’s career. Veteran character actor Ken Pouge is the only performer doing something interesting onscreen.
Directed by: Geoff Burrowes
Written by: Dennis Shryack, Michael Blodgett
Starring: Patrick Dempsey, Kelly Preston, Ken Pogue